Pecan, Pear, Pomegranate Kale Salad

Heart-Smart Eating Can Be Delicious and Nutritious

(Family Features) Keeping your heart in good shape starts at mealtime. Fortunately, there’s no reason to skimp on flavor to spread the love to your heart.

For example, homegrown American Pecans are a naturally sweet, heart-smart ingredient you can add to salads, vegetable side dishes, oatmeal and other whole grains – or enjoy on their own as a snack. Their unique mix of “good” unsaturated fats, fiber, plant sterols and flavonoids add up to make pecans a powerful, heart-healthy food.

Each 1-ounce serving provides 18 grams of unsaturated fat with zero cholesterol or sodium. In fact, American Pecans are certified as a heart-healthy food by the American Heart Association’s® Heart-Check Certification Program. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, such as pecans, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Try adding a colorful, flavorful twist to a simple salad by combining crunchy kale with fresh pecans, pomegranate seeds and pears for a tasty, heart-healthy meal you can feel good about.

Pecan, Pear, Pomegranate Kale Salad

Prep time: 20 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale, stems removed

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons, divided

2 small pears, sliced

3/4 cup fresh pecan halves

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons course grain mustard

pinch of kosher salt

pinch of cracked black pepper

Preparation:

Chop or shred kale into small pieces and transfer to large bowl. Drizzle 3 tablespoons olive oil on kale. Massage kale about 3-5 minutes, or until kale becomes glossy, deep green and begins to tenderize.